Politics · China · 1 hr ago
China expands health services and sets 2035 goal for a healthy nation
China has made public health a national priority and set a goal of building a healthy China by 2035.
The strategy took shape through policy steps starting in 2015 and includes improving health care, disease prevention and healthy living.
The government says China now has the world’s largest medical service, traditional medicine, disease control and health insurance systems.
It has also worked to expand care in rural areas and improve access to doctors and medical services close to home.
The article reports that average life expectancy reached 79.25 years in 2025, while the overall rate of student short-sightedness fell for five years in a row.
These changes matter because health affects people’s quality of life and the country’s ability to develop.
The government says it will continue reforms and work toward the 2035 goal.
China has set a goal of building a healthy nation by 2035 and has made public health a priority in national development.
The article says China has built the world’s largest medical service, traditional medicine, disease prevention and control, and medical insurance systems.
In 2025, life expectancy reached 79.25 years, while the student myopia rate fell to 49.9%.
More than 90% of residents can access nearby medical services within 15 minutes, according to the article.
The article describes efforts to expand basic care, strengthen public health and improve access to services in rural areas.
- Who
- China’s government and health sector. The measures are intended to serve the public.
- What
- China is expanding health services and pursuing a goal of building a healthy nation by 2035.
- When
- The goal was proposed in 2020 and included in China’s overall development goals in 2022. The article was published on October 13, 2026.
- Where
- China.
- Why
- The article says public health is a foundation for social and economic development and a shared public concern.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Fifth Plenum of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee called for advancing the Healthy China initiative.
The National Health and Wellness Conference set out a shift from a focus on treating illness to a focus on people's health.
The Fifth Plenum of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee proposed building a healthy China by 2035.
The 20th Communist Party of China National Congress included building a healthy China in the country's overall development goals for 2035.
The Third Plenum of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee called for implementing a strategy that prioritizes health development.
- 2035
- Target year for building a healthy China
- Life expectancy
- 79.25 years in 2025
- Student myopia rate
- 49.9% in 2025
- Nearby medical access
- More than 90% of residents can reach services within 15 minutes
- National medical centers
- 125 projects supported; 75% are in central and western regions or other areas with relatively limited medical resources
- County medical partnerships
- 2,199 counties, cities and districts are developing integrated county-level medical communities
What people are saying
People's health is an important indicator of socialist modernization.
People's health is both a livelihood issue and a social and political issue.
Health is the 1, and everything else is the zeros that follow. Without the 1, nothing else matters.
We must shift the focus of health care work downward and move health resources to lower levels, promote equal access to basic public services in urban and rural areas, and provide people with safe, effective, convenient and affordable public health and basic medical services.
Sources
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